1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to lawn and garden tractors or similar vehicles with an attachment driven by a controllable tool drive or power take off (PTO), and more specifically to an interlock circuit for such a vehicle.
2) Related Art
Vehicles such as some lawn and garden tractors with PTO driven attachments include an interlock circuit with several functions including the prevention of PTO operation when the vehicle is placed in reverse. Under certain conditions, operation of the PTO while the vehicle is in reverse is necessary. Various override systems have been proposed for this purpose, but most are difficult or inconvenient to operate. For example, one type of available override system on a mower allows PTO operation when the vehicle is backing up, but only after the PTO is automatically disconnected during the shift into reverse. Another type requires the operator to continuously push a switch during reverse operation. Providing an interlock circuit with an override feature that is simple, convenient, reliable and easy to connect to existing interlock circuitry has been a continuing source of difficulty.